My phone rings. Harper.
“Hey, what’s—”
“Ryan, I can’t work for Beckett.” Harper sounds frantic and out of breath.
“Why are you yelling at me? Are you running?”
“What? No. Sorry. My lungs seem to think I ran up the stairs at the store, despite the fact I walked up at a turtle speed.”
People go in and out of the locker room, giving me weird looks because I’m standing smack in the middle talking on the phone. “One sec, Harper.”
I put the phone down and put my hoodie on over my sweaty shirt. After throwing everything else in my bag, I grab it and the phone.
“Hey, I’m back. You feeling better now?” I make my way out of the gym and to the car.
“A little.” There’s some rustling on the other side of the line. “Aren’t you at the gym?”
I shared my schedule with her so she knows when it’s easiest to reach me in case of an emergency. But strangely enough, I find the fact she seems to have it memorized incredibly hot.
“Just got done, so I’m heading home now.” I throw my gym bag in the back seat and buckle in.
“Oh, nice. Anything else planned for the day?”
The Bluetooth connects with the car, and Harper’s voice sounds over the speakers.
I reverse out of my parking spot and leave the gym parking lot to drive onto the main road. “Not really. I’m going to do some yoga later at home, but that’s it.”
“Oh, you do yoga?”
“I have to. It helps with my flexibility and the tightness in my shoulders.”
“That’s great.” It’s easier for me now to hear a smile in her voice after talking to her so much.
Thinking of her smile makes me think of the picture she sent.
And my hard-on is back.
I’ve got issues. Horny issues.
Thank goodness I’m home soon.
On the way to the shower.
Me and my hand. Ever since my night with her, and all the memories that left me with, my hand has been extra busy. Even more so since she came back into my life. How would Harper feel about this? Would it turn her on to know that I come thinking about her?
“Does it take you long to get home?” She sounds like she’s on the move again.
“No, almost there. The gym is really close.”
“That’s convenient. Well, I don’t want to keep you any longer then. I was calling to tell you that I can’t work for Beckett. It would be weird with him and Tara. Too weird. I told you they’re planning on seeing each other again.”
I didn’t even think about that. Although I’m not sure why that would be an issue, I'm not going to push her on this. “Think about it. It’s always an option.”
Have you actually thought about what it would mean if Beckett gave her a job?
I want to help her, make her less unhappy, but at the same time . . . Beckett’s headquarters is in New York, so she’d definitely stay there. And what would that mean for us then? Is there even an us? Would I move to New York to be with her and chance my career?
All these questions are fucking with my mind.